The Amazing Story of the What to Expect Movie's Ethiopian Babies — Part Two

Updated: January 29, 2015

The Howards didn't know what they'd find as they traveled halfway around the world to meet their new babies. See why that first meeting went beyond their wildest expectations.

When did you meet the twins and can you describe the first meeting?

Meredith: Because the twins were very frail and weak, the agency decided to move very quickly so the twins could get to the U.S. as soon as possible. We went to Ethiopia a month after we got the e-mail — in November. The twins were in an orphanage about six hours away from Addis Ababa, the capital of Ethiopia, so we were driven down in a bus with another couple who was also adopting a baby.

The director of the orphanage, his wife, and a translator welcomed us. I was a nervous wreck because I didn’t know what to expect. We’d heard these scary things about the twins and their health. The director told us the story of the twins — the parts that we didn’t know. Then the nannies brought out the twins.

The first one they brought out was Asher and he was wearing this little pink onesie. They handed him to Kindred and I remember thinking, “Oh, that’s the most beautiful little girl. But they must be confused because we are here for the twin boys!” But then it quickly hit me that this was one of the twins. Then they brought Samuel and handed him to me.

They were so tiny they were wearing newborn-sized clothes even though they were six months old. But they were so alert and with the biggest eyes you have ever seen, just taking us in! I remember hearing Kindred singing to each of the boys as he held them, “Daddy’s here, Daddy’s here” It was just better than we could have ever even hoped for.

Kindred: The first thing Meredith said to me as she held Samuel was “I just feel like we’ve won the lottery.” And of course we fell in love with them right away. We had a great experience — all we did was hang out in the orphanage, holding them, learning about them.

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The Amazing Story of the What to Expect Movie's Ethiopian Babies — Part Three

Meredith: They loved those boys at the orphanage, so that was nice to see. It was really thanks to them that the boys were alive.

So the moment you saw them that was it?

Meredith: Well, we didn’t travel halfway around the world to be certain. We’d committed to adopting them in the States, so we were going to roll with whatever happened.

Kindred: I’d always felt that it was going to be fine, especially as soon as we could get them home and start feeding them nutritious food, loving them, and giving them the attention they need. Meredith felt there were no guarantees, but I was blissfully ignorant I guess.

Meredith: Kindred said that all the time—they’ll be fine. And I was online, researching the effects of meningitis, severe malnutrition, and he’d say, “I don’t even want to read it. They’ll be fine as soon as we get them home.” That was always reassuring — and sometimes maddening!

But once I met them I knew it would be fine. We could tell Asher could hear us — we’d been worried that he might have been deaf because that’s a side effect of meningitis. And just the way they allowed us to cuddle with them. It was kind of ironic — here we were adopting the frail babies that nobody wanted and they were perfectly fine.

When did you legally adopt the twins?

Kindred: Before we left the orphanage we took part in an adoption ceremony there. As we sat in a small waiting room, the nannies walked in and presented us with traditional scarves, and put them around our necks. They offered us popcorn and served us small cups of coffee. Coffee is huge in Ethiopia so for any kind of ceremony or celebration, coffee is involved. And then they brought the babies in. But the legal ceremony took place in Addis Ababa, the capital. The judge asked us why we wanted to adopt the boys and if we were certain. After we answered the questions, she said, “Congratulations, they are yours.”